Emerald Eyes
by thatsphat
Summary: Starfire was to be queen of Tamaran. So how did she end up on Earth with the Titans? Her old love, and a possible new love... Will Robin be able to mend her broken heart? Robin, Starfire, Superman love triangle
1. Pain and Memories

**Before we begin, some facts!**

This is my first story!

Starfire is Koriandr

Kal El (superman) is of course borrowed from Superman. And in this story Krypton still exists. Superman/Kal El still has all his superman powers.

Right now the story describes Starfire's life before the Titans, but she will meet the Titans soon!

**Chapter 1**

**Pain and Memories**

"AHHHHH!"

Her scream rang painfully through the dark halls. Such horrible pain... As they shocked her with another bolt of energy, painful memories ran played in her head. Childhood memories of her and Blackfire...

"Look Starfire! The sunset on Tamaran...Is it not beautiful?"

"Yes..." Starfire looked thoughtfully at the orange-red glow. "Dear sister, do you think maybe someday, we can go to the Sun?"

"Hmm... Maybe I can take you there. If you really want to go so much."

"I do! I would love to watch the sunset on the Sun!"

"Little sister, you cannot watch the sunset _while_ you are on the Sun," Blackfire had said after laughing at her younger sister's silly, yet adorable comment.

"But I'll take you there," Blackfire had said to her. "I promise."

Starfire tried desperately to keep herself from reliving any more memories, but it was to no avail. Her whole life was flashing by.

She was in the royal court, summoned by the king of Tamaran, her father. She looked a little nervous, unsure if she should speak first or not. She had never been summoned to the royal court before. This was very formal. The kind of people who were summoned to the royal court were advisors, bishops, and political leaders from other planets. The king's daughters were never summoned to the royal court. They were too young to take part in universal politics, so they spent their days studying the Tamaranian law, history, music, and such things.

"Koriandr," came a solemn yet loving voice.

"Father," Starfire said, not sure if she was allowed to call him that in this occasion. Whatever that occasion might be, she did not know. The king had addressed her as Koriandr, her royal name, instead of Starfire. This had to mean something.

"Well, it is final. The planetary council has decided. You will take my throne when I pass."

Starfire was bewildered.

_... What? Me? But Blackfire is the heir... She is my older sister! What is going on here? _

Star almost blurted all this out, but stopped immediately when she saw her father looking at her expectedly.

"Yes, father," was all she could mutter.

"You are dismissed." That was an order.

Starfire felt faint. It was too much responsibility. Nobody said that she was the heir. She always assumed it was Blackfire, the eldest.

The king looked at the confused look on his beloved daughter's face and gave her a small reassuring smile.

Star smiled back at the respected man who was her father, but confusion was storming in her head. The decision was so subtle. Starfire hadn't even considered herself heir to the throne.

Two days later, Starfire was taken away from her usual studies, taken out of the classes Blackfire and she were in. She had wondered why Blackfire wasn't taken out too. She hadn't seen her since... since being summoned to the royal court. She was to take different courses now. Her father had called it a "special training."

A special training... so she would be fit to be queen. That had to be it.

**-END OF FIRST CHAPTER-**

What did you think? I would appreciate any kind of feedback as long as it's not too mean. I mean if you want to say I suck, state your reasons. Tell me WHY I suck. Haha yeah.


	2. Kal El

The story continues! This chapter and the next one (maybe the next two) is still Starfire's memories. Like a gigantic flashback. It will end when she meets the Titans.. and Robin! oooo young love! lol. I hope it will all fit in.

Oh yeah I forgot this!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR SUPERMAN OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.** With the exception of those I might make up :P

Now... Shall we dance? I mean start. Sorry my head is kinda uh. yeah. lol

**Chapter 2**

**Kal El**

It was the first day of her "special training." She was to go to the training arena and meet her teacher. When she arrived, she saw a tall man of great physique.

"Hello Princess," he greeted her with a bow.

"Greetings..." She paused so he would tell her his name.

"Kal El, of Krypton," he said proudly. "At your service."

Kal El was a handsome man, maybe four or five years older than Star. He had messy brown hair, giving him a sort of mischievous appearance. Star hoped he didn't notice her examining him so closely. She decided talking would keep her from being distracted.

"Krypton... I have read about it. Is it really true what they say in the books?" She was soon filled with many questions about Krypton. The books described the planet as a place filled with beings who could fly and shoot heat beams out of their eyes. They could also see through solid objects and had super strength. These concepts fascinated Starfire.

Kal El looked at Starfire and smiled. "Well, it all depends. What do these books say about my home planet?"

"They say it is a place filled with wonders; beings with power beyond imagination, with eyes that can destroy buildings, and flight! Oh how I would love-"

Kal El laughed. "Why Princess, that is exactly what we Kryptonians think about Tamaran!"

Starfire looked at him confusedly.

"Uh, you are probably wondering why you have been pulled out of your classes... Umm. This may seem a little off the subject, but it's not. Do you know where this excerpt is from?" Kal El cleared his throat and began reciting...

_The first time I saw her, I felt faint. I thought 'did I die,' for she was an angel. But then I realized, what a strange beauty? For this angel, she had no wings. So I asked her, "Oh fair angel, where are your wings?" And she said with a smile, "I need none, for I fly with the light." Her smile mezmerized me. And her eyes... pure emerald eyes. I leaned forward. I couldn't help it. Her beauty enchanted me, and I had to kiss her. And then... Right then... She was gone! All that was left was a shining trail of her wingless flight._

Kal El stopped with a dramatic effect. He looked at Starfire with enchanted eyes, which made her stiffen and grow hot.

"_The Wingless Angel_... Of course. It is one of my favorite stories. Every Tamaranian knows it."

Starfire did not understand what Kal El was trying to tell her with this poem.

He was staring deep into her eyes. Into those fair emerald eyes. Starfire looked back into his, but soon turned away blushing. "You are trying to teach me something, but I am not smart enough to understand... Forgive me teacher Kal El. I am no queen, or even a princess. I am but a girl..."

Kal El smiled. "Princess, you are being way too modest. I can _feel_ your good energy just by standing next to you! You _are _the princess, and you _will _bethe queen. One with a pure heart!" Kal El was beginning to get very excited. Starfire was lost once more.

_That was a compliment, was it not?_

"Princess, you are_ The_ _One_!That story, what's it about?"

"A man falls in love with an angel with no wings. Love at first sight... When he tries to kiss her, she disappears, and the man lives his whole life awaiting her return."

"Yes, a sad, yet enchanting story. Anyways... An angel with no wings! The story is talking about _your _people, Princess! Well, to be exact, it is describing your great great grandmother."

"My great great grandmother? She was the angel with no wings?"

"Yes! And so are you."

"Me?"

"You."

"..." Starfire gazed at Kal El as if he was insane.

"But... I... Tamaranians cannot fly. How could my great great grandmother... How could I?"

"_That_ is why I am here, Princess. Your father has informed me that you have been showing signs... Sort of symptoms I guess, that you are the _angel_."

"What signs? I did not notice anything different in me."

"Your eyes. Emerald-green eyes. Your father tells me that they glow bright green when you become... emotional."

"They do..." Starfire was beginning to understand.

_The story... The angel has emerald eyes. Just like me... I have always wondered why my eyes were a different color from the rest of my family. In fact, not one person on Tamaran has emerald green eyes..._

"That is one sign. Another is, well, your pure heart!"

A slight blush crept through Starfire's cheeks.

"Everyone who knows you defines you as the beautiful princess with a pure heart. Enough said, don't you think?" Kal El was grinning like a boy.

_A handsome boy..._

Star blushed immediately as she realized what she was just thinking about.

"Umm... Thank you... I... I am flattered?" Starfire was confused and embarassed at the same time. What was the meaning of all this?

"Okay. We don't have much time. Lets get to the point. You are the er... _Chosen One _or whateverThat means you are the first Tamaranian since your great great grandmother to possess the eh... _godly_ powers. Which means you can like fly, shoot balls of energy stuff out of your hands, and you're super strong. Uh, yeah. Something like that. Well, I guess I'll find out exactly what your powers are..."

Star stared blankly at Kal El. Apparently, all that information was taking quite a while to be processed.

" So shall we begin?"

_Whaaat? I can what! This must be a practical joke. Blackfire must be behind this... but how did she get a Kryptonian? ...this cannot possibly be real!_

Kal El studied Starfire's reactions.

_Hmm... Well, she seems to be taking it well enough. A bit surprised, but who wouldn't be? ...wow... Beautiful. I thought princesses were only beautiful in fairy tales. Ah! What am I thinking? The king will chop my head off if he finds me drooling over his daughter! Come on, Kal El! Just teach her what she needs to learn and get out of here!_

"Did I give you enough time to uhh... absorb all this information?"

"So it is not a joke?" Starfire seemed alarmed.

Kal El smiled. "Far from it."

"Okay, I trust you. What will you be teaching me?"

Kal El was surprised at how trustworthy she was towards someone she just met.

_Such a kind soul, but still naive. She can't just trust any stranger. She has to learn to defend herself so she doesn't get hurt and betrayed._

"I'll be teaching you how to use and control your powers. You're going to see me every day, same time, same place, and I'll make sure you become this uh.. angel. Yes. That is, if it is alright with you... Princess."

"Splendid, teacher Kal El." Star said with a beautiful smile.

"Yeah... Splendid." Kal El was of course talking about Starfire when he said this. He had to shake his head over and over to stop gawking at the beautiful girl in front of him. No, not a girl. A princess.

That's right... She's a _princess. _

"Teacher Kal El, are you in pain?" Star looked genuinely worried.

Kal El froze up when he looked back at her.

_Ah! So pretty! I can't resist the urge... I want to kiss her. **SO BADLY!**_

Without realizing, Kal El was slowly leaning in towards Starfire. Starfire just looked at him worriedly.

"NOOO!" Starfire screamed.

**-End of Chapter 2-**

I guess it's a cliffhanger. Wondering why she screamed? Was it because handsome Kal El has disgusting yellow teeth? Or something else? lol. Find out in next chapter! Oh yeah and any reviews? Feel free to comment. Like I said, criticizing me is ok, but make sure you have support. This way, I can improve my writing and make people happier!


	3. Close Call

Sorry I didn't update sooner. I thought nobody would read it, but then i got all these reviews! I'm so happy! Thank you! Oh yes i noticed that people had a lot to say about the whole Starfire Superman thing. lol cool. I like this reaction :P Well, here goes nothing! or something...

**Chapter 3**

**Close Call**

_Without realizing, Kal El was slowly leaning in towards Starfire. Starfire just looked at him worriedly._

"_NOOO!" Starfire screamed._

----------------

Before he could say anything, she was gone...

_Just like the story... The angel leaves me. Ah! I am so heartbroken!_

"Teacher Kal El! Help please!" Starfire was screaming from half a mile away, holding in her arms... a man?

Kal El flew as fast as possible, and he was afraid and relieved when he saw who she was holding. It was the king.

_Thank heavens! I thought she despised me... I thought she had a boyfriend or something! It was only the king... Only the king! Have I gone INSANE? THE KING IS LYING UNCONSCIOUS!_

"Father... He was just looking at us, and I saw him fall. Father? Please..." Tears formed in her emerald eyes.

"YOU!" It was a low, scary voice.

"Father! You have awoken!" Starfire wiped away her tears.

"Y-your Majesty! I-I will call for help right away!" Kal El realized how sweaty his hands were.

"NO! YOU STOP RIGHT THERE." Kal El immediately stopped in his tracks. The king was _furious_.

"Father..." Starfire did not know what was going on.

"I HIRED YOU TO TEACH MY DAUGHTER, NOT TO MARRY HER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!"

"Wh...what? I beg your pardon sir?" Kal El was so nervous, his brain wasn't functioning at all.

"I SAW YOU, YOU BASTARD! TRYING TO KISS MY DAUGHTER! MY DAUGHTER! PRINCESS AND SOON TO BE QUEEN OF TAMARAN!" The king was now standing up, and Kal El stepped back at his huge presence.

"... Your Majesty. I... I-"

"Father, please stop it! It was all my fault! I... demanded that he kissed me. It was my idea. I told him that if he did not obey, I would refuse to learn from him. He was only obeying my orders. Please, do not punish him!" Starfire was crying once more, but for the sake of Kal El this time.

"Starfire... Is this true?" The king, now calm, looked at his daughter solemnly.

"Y-yes. Everything I said is the truth." Starfire couldn't make eye contact anymore. She was lying straight to his face. She could feel her father's disappointed gaze. She could feel Kal El's apologetic eyes.

"... I will let it go this time. But if anything of this sort happens again, there will be severe consequences. For the both of you," he said, glaring at Kal El.

"Yes, father," Starfire said quietly.

"Y-yes, your Majesty." Kal El's heart was begining to slow down.

The king then walked away with three guards marching behind.

Kal El looked at Starfire. She was floating a little, looking at her dangling feet. He could see shining tears streaming down her delicate face.

"Princess. I... I... Sorry. I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me for my beastly behavior? I wasn't thinking. It was wrong. It was _so _wrong! But I couldn't help it. It was just like the story. You... you are just so... _amazing_. I couldn't. I shouldn't have. Princess, I-"

"Teacher. There is no need. I accept your apology. Let us continue training. Please,forget about what happened. For I forgive you." Starfire was smiling, but her eyes betrayed pain.

_What have I done? I have hurt her. She lied to her father to protect me. She saved me from exile. No. Judging from the way the king was acting, she saved me from execution! How could I be such a complete idiot! He looked so disappointed at his daughter. And I did nothing but watch... I am such a coward. I do not deserve the honor of teaching a royal._

"... Thank you. Thank you Princess." He was so ashamed. His heart was bleeding from the pain he had caused her.

"Your welcome." She flashed him a smile, a genuine, beautiful smile, to let him know that it was alright. "Shall we continue our duel?"

"Of course," Kal El replied. He was once again smitten by that beautiful smile.

**End of Chapter 3**

Yeah.. It was short. But worry not! For next chapter is but less than a day away! I hope you liked what happened. Incase you didn't get it, Starfire flew away because she saw her father faint. And he fainted because he saw Kal El putting the moves on his precious daughter. lol. maybe that makes him look weak, but I know how fathers are... They ARE weak against daughters! yep, I know from experience. And I'm sure many of you do too. Ha ha. Next chapter ends the flashback, and Starfire will meet the Titans! Woohoo

Oh by the way, thank you reviewers! You are just so nice! Looking at your reviews literally puts a smile on my face! 1 Review30 seconds in pure blissful heaven!


	4. Growing Power, Growing Attraction?

See? Another chapter! After this is a real change!

**Chapter 4**

**Growing Power, Growing Attraction?**

She had trained with Kal El, day after day, week after week. Both of them were incredibly determined, partly because they did not want to _distract _each other. Well, maybe not each other. It was mainly Starfire trying not to distract Kal El, and Kal El trying not to get distracted by her. Starfire learned about her powers, and more importantly, how to control them. She found that after a couple days, she could open doors without completely crushing the titanium door knobs. She became fascinated with her ability to shoot bright green balls of energy, which she called starbolts, but had to be careful not to make them too destructive. After a couple of weeks, Starfire began sparring with Kal El. He was very strong, and clever too. She started out losing every time, but that only made her more resolute to win. When she wasn't training with Kal El, she was thinking up strategies to use in their next duel. It paid off. She was beginning to become a challenge for Kal El. He was impressed. Nobody had ever surpassed him, the strongest man of Krypton, in one-on-one combat before. Starfire was getting amazingly close. He wondered at her strength, determination... and her beauty.

_Her power grows with each passing day... And this is only the beginning for her. The day will come when I will be defeated by her. Then I shall leave, and she shall rule Tamaran. My job will be done... She won't have time to talk to me once she becomes a planetary ruler. And I will lose my already miniscule chance of gaining her love... Love. How can just thinking about it hurt so much?_

3 months later...

_BOOM! _

"Teacher Kal El, I am coming!" Starfire yelled confidently. She shot through the air, green balls of energy glowing in her hands. She was soaring straight at Kal El.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

She looked around. She had thrown four starbolts at him, but she knew Kal El well enough to know that he had somehow evaded them.

_Aha,_ she thought.

_Swish! _Starfire quickly spun around, conjuring up a big starbolt in her right fist at the same time, and thrust her fist right into Kal El's stomach.

"OOF!" Kal El spat out blood. Something must have burst inside.

_Damn, this girl is strong!_

"Teacher Kal El! Are you severely wounded?" Starfire floated around him looking worried, inspecting his body for injuries.

"I'm fine. But if you hadn't controlled your power I wouldn't be talking right now... Well, I think it is now safe to say that you are the strongest being I have ever encountered in my life! And that is a _long_ time, considering a Kryptonian's life span."

"Teacher, is that true? Have I really improved that much? Oh, I am overjoyed! Thank you teacher Kal El, for teaching me so much!" With that, Starfire gave Kal El a fierce hug.

"Ah! Go easy on me, Princess. You packed quite a punch back there." But Kal El didn't care. Feeling her warm body against his was the most wonderful feeling ever.

"I am so sorry! I did not mean to hurt you teacher."

Kal El thought she looked so beautiful and innocent when she said this.

_It pains me that her innocence will soon be shattered... Becoming the queen of Tamaran means dealing with corrupt rulers and politicans. She will realize that evil lurks inside the heart of many. She's just so pure... I won't ever forgive myself if she gets hurt._

For what seemed like hours, Starfire and Kal El just looked at each other, floating in midair. Kal El was afraid that Starfire might hear his heart beating, because it was beating furious and loud.

"Starfire... I've been meaning to say this, well, from the moment I saw you. I know it's not right for me to-"

_BOOM! _

_BOOM! _

_BOOM!_

**End of Chapter 4**

Ehh? What's this! "I know it's not right for me to-" BOOM BOOM BOOM! lol it looks like a weirdo! Whats with the _BOOMS? _Is it that ghetto guy who always turns the bass up way too loud in the frikin morning? Or is it that ex bf who keeps whacking his drums to make you deaf? or NEITHER? _GASP! _Duuuude hope this was enjoyable enough. short i guess, but next chapter up soon!


	5. End and Beginning

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS, SUPERMAN, OR ANYTHING COOL IN THAT CASE! EXCEPT MY IPOD MINI! **

Dudes and dudettes although dudettes should just be dudes also... anyways! Thank yall for reviewing! it means a lot to me. And to answer some of your questions... Yes I do watch Smallville. As much as it is corny, Clark Kent is pretty! lol sorry.

And now... The long anticipated appearance of Robin and the Teen Titans! The super long flashback ends! What of to Starfire and Kal El? And Robin? Find out... Now!

**Chapter 5**

**End and Beginning**

"AHHH!" A giant metal arm came from behind and grasped Kal El. The arm quickly slithered away like an anaconda.

"Teacher!" Starfire sped to Kal El but found her way blocked by hundreds of metal arms. "AHH," she screamed as three arms grabbed her at the same time and squeezed her violently. Starfire had never felt so much pain in her life.

_Unhh! AHHHHH! _

Suddenly, her eyes turned bright neon green, and the same green energy silhouetted her whole body.

_BOOM!_

All three metal arms exploded into a hundred pieces. Starfire looked around, her eyes still green with her pain and rage.

_Teacher? Where is Teacher Kal El?_

Starfire was panicking. She had to find him. She had to save him. He was weakened from their sparring... He was in danger!

Just then, a voice came from above her.

"Well, well, well. I have to admit it was truly _fun _watching you train with this teacher Kal El everyday. Learning new things. Getting these special _powers. _I bet you feel _very special _now."

Starfire gasped. Her eyes turned emerald green once again.

_What? What is going on?_

"Surprised to see me Starfire? Why, I thought you would be more warm and welcoming. After all... I am your _DEAR SISTER!_"

With those last two words, four metal arms came at Starfire from all directions and grasped her painfully.

"AHHH! UHH AHHH!" Starfire was in so much pain. The taste of her own blood sickened her. Her ribs were broken in several places.

"Stop!" The robotic arms eased the grip on Star. "I can't kill her. _They _want her alive... For their experiments."

Starfire looked up when the pain became bearable. "Sister... Sister... What are you doing?"

Starfire knew what her sister was doing. She was betraying her. Betraying her to some aliens who wanted to perform some freakish experiments on her. She knew exactly what Blackfire was doing. Yet, she just couldn't bring herself to believe in the truth.

_My dear sister... She would never betray me... She was always there for me... With me... We were going to travel to the Sun to watch the sunset... I love her... She... She loves... me..._

"Dear little sister... I am capturing you and giving you to these aliens. They are quite interested in your powers. They would like to learn more..." Blackfire said with a wicked look that made Starfire want to vomit. "I cannot have you on Tamaran, Starfire. I cannot stand watching you getting _special _treatment while I am shunned!I cannot stand you being the center of attention on this whole planet. I CAN STAND YOUR HAPPINESS NO LONGER!

_I WAS MEANT TO RULE TAMARAN. NOT YOU! _

_I AM HEIR TO THE THRONE! YOUR _OLDER _SISTER!_

_I HATE YOU... OH, I HATE YOU SO MUCH LITTLE SISTER..."_

Starfire grimaced in pain. Something inside her was being ripped to shreds. Her heart. She felt cold all over, yet she was sweating profusely.

_No... No. NO NO NO! _

Starfire began glowing neon green. She was in a rage once more.

"_YOU! _You are my older sister! You are supposed to look after me! Be there for me! Like I have for you!" She was crying. She was in pain... Pain that was tenfolds greater than the grip of those cold metal arms.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM! _

_BOOM! _

_BOOM!_

Star destroyed everything around her, drunk in her own pain and blood, fueled by anger and confusion. She was about to blast a particularly big piece of metal, when she heard someone familiar.

"Princess! STOP!" Kal El was yelling from inside the grip of the robot. Star could see that this robot's arm was covered in kryptonite. It was sucking his strength from him. Kal El was dying.

"TEACHER! I'll save you!" Starfire flew as fast as she could, blowing up every robot in sight.

"NOT so fast, little sister!" Blackfire was perched on a robot's arm, right next to Kal El. She was holding a green dagger. A _kryptonite_ dagger. "If you move _at all_, your dear teacher will be _dead. _I've watched you two for a while... Young love. HA HA HA. A _wonderful _thing, I must say. You don't want that to end, do you, Sister?"

"YOU WILL LET HIM GO AT ONCE, BLACKFIRE!" Starfire was beginning to form a huge energy ball when she saw Blackfire make a thin, long cut along Kal El's neck.

Kal El screamed in pain.

Star stopped immediately.

She stopped glowing.

She slowly dropped to the ground.

"Please, sister. Let him go. I will do whatever you wish." Starfire was having a hard time speaking. Her cut cheek stung as tears streamed down it, tears mixing with blood.

"Princess... No... Don't..." But Kal El couldn't talk. He was weak and his throat was swollen from the cut made by the kryptonite dagger.

_Damn. DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! I'm keeping her from killing these bastards!_

Star managed to muster a weak smile at Kal El, but it only made him want to cry.

"Do not worry so, Teacher. You said I was strong. Nothing can hurt me." Star tried her best to keep smiling. She didn't want him to see that she was just about to die in pain. The pain she felt all over her body. The pain of betrayal... The pain of... _love. _

_Kal El... I... I love you. I cannot believe I did not realize until now. Until it is too late... What a fool I am. But this... I will do one thing right. I will save you. I will surrender myself. For you..._

Star was about to tell Kal El how she loved him, when she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Someone had stuck a needle in her while she was looking at Kal El. Everything began to go blurry. Her legs felt weak.

_Kal... El..._

She did her best to keep her gaze on Kal El. She was a fool. If she went out like this, she wouldn't even find out if he made it out alive!

_Good bye, Kal El... Good bye..._

_Thunk. _

Starfire fell face first to the ground.

"STARFIRE!" Kal El screamed even though it made him gag in his own hot blood, "NO!"

"Well, a deal's a deal. I do not plan to _dishonor_ my sister," Blackfire said with a wicked laugh. "Let him go."

The robots dropped him hard onto the ground.

He had to get to her. Kal El began crawling towards Starfire.

_Starfire... I never got to tell you... How much I really love you..._

From behind him, something hit him hard on the back of his head.

_How beautiful..._

That was Kal El's last thought as everything blackened. He never let go of Starfire's hand.

She was back in the torture chamber. They were still zapping her chest with the painful bolts. She realized that she did not feel any pain anymore. She was already broken inside. Broken in every possible way. Her heart was empty. No. She didn't even have a heart.

_I am going to die here. I will never see Kal El again. Hah. Does it even matter anymore? Even if I did see him again, I would still be cold and empty inside. I would still be... dead._

_BZZZZZ!_

Another zap.

_Ah!_

It was as if another Starfire had awoken inside. The hopeful one. The one who wanted to see Kal El again. The one who wouldn't give up.

_NO!_

_I AM NOT GOING TO DIE! _

_I WILL NOT LET MYSELF!_

_I MUST ESCAPE! _

_I MUST FIND KAL EL!_

_BOOM!_

She was in her power rage. Her eyes lit up the whole chamber and blasted at the ceiling.

_I did not have the power to shoot energy with my eyes before... Did this experiment do this to me?_

She had no time to think. She destroyed everything and anything in sight. She spotted a room with windows. Windows that looked into the lab. The room where they watched her torture.

Hate burned inside of her. She would kill these bastards who have caused her such agonizing pain. She gathered both hands together and created one gigantic ball of green light. She raised her arms high above her head. She looked into the fearful eyes of the so-called "scientists." Something struck her mind.

_I cannot. _

She lowered her arms rapidly and the scientists screamed in horror. They waited for excruciating pain, but it never came.

Starfire had blasted the five feet thick titanium wall that was encasing her instead. The metal around the gigantic hole was glowing red.

The scientists gasped in awestruck horror.

_What power... She could blow up this whole planet!_

Starfire looked back at the scientists one last time. They looked back at her with fright and awe. She stared back at them blankly.

_I have gained even more power from their experiments. This experience will haunt me forever, yet I have gained the strength to carry on from it. A curse... And a blessing._

Star flew out of the gigantic hole she made and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back.

"Titans, GO!" It was a boy judging from his voice. She couldn't see anything because of the smoke from the explosion she had caused. Starfire was tired. She did not want to fight. Especially when she didn't know why they were attacking her.

The Titans looked at the figure strangely. There was so much smoke from that sudden explosion that they hadn't been able to see what came out. Robin had attacked, because it could have been Slade coming out, and he didn't want to miss a chance to kick Slade's ass. As the smoke cleared up, he could see more clearly.

_A girl?_

"Way to go Robin! You hit a girl! You hit that-whoah-_PRETTY_ girl!" The green boy was shocked to see such a beautiful girl coming out from one of Slade's labs.

"Be more careful next time, man," said a half robotic looking man.

"No. We should still be careful. For all we know, this girl is Slade in disguise." The speaker was a dark hooded girl with a slightly raspy, monotone voice.

Starfire looked around at the strange beings. They seemed to be about her age. She wondered if she should speak.

"Greetings, I am Star-"

_WHACK!_

"Slade!" yelled Robin.

Slade had come up from behind and hit Starfire on the back of her head. She was lying on the ground again, not moving.

"Titans, GO!"

**End of Chapter 5**

What did you think of that? Too long? Too short? Ehhh? I hope I did ok portraying the characters. Ah.. now this is the tricky part.. What to write about next!


	6. Newfound Friends

Again, infinite thanks to you supportive readers/reviewers! I had this whole story kinda written up to like chapter 6 or 7. So after this chapter, my updating might get slow... but i will keep at it! Because I know how annoying it is when people don't update. Hm as sad as it is, Starfire's father probably won't be making another entrance. I'll try to incorporate him in if possible. Glad someone liked him lol. Ah! and i forgot.. a reviewer pointed out that i put Jor El instead of Kal El somewhere. loll sorry about that! Its supposed to be Kal El. I was using Jor El first before i had it edited for some reason. but then i thought.. hmm why have superman's dad like starfire when superman can! lol plus jor el is like a dead voice thing. haha so yeah sorry about that!

**Chapter 6**

**Newfound Friends**

The pain in her head seemed explode as she gained consciousness.

"Unhhh..." She felt the back of her head and noticed a bump.

Was this all just a dream? Was she still in that torture chamber? Was she home? The last thing she could remember was... _Titans, GO!_

She gasped. She must be imprisoned by them. She had to get out. She couldn't take it anymore.

_I cannot delay any longer. I must find Kal El!_

Star was about to blast the whole room and fly off when...

"Umm. I see you're awake." It was that same boy who hit her before.

Star swung around in lightning speed, ready to blast the enemy away.

"AH! Uh, could you not use that right now? I'm not here to hurt you." The boy looked nervous.

Star didn't put her arms down. She looked at him closely. After scrutinizing him, She came to the conclusion that he seemed... nice. She finally lowered her guard.

"Uh, thanks. Sorry for hitting you yesterday. I thought you were someone else..."

The boy seemed very nervous to Starfire. For some reason, this made her feel nervous too. They made eye contact and both quickly looked away. Star found the patterns on the floor fascinating.

"Gr-Greetings. I am Starfire... of Tamaran." She found it hard to say the name of her own planet. It brought back pain and made her grimace.

"Are you okay?" said a worried Robin. There was something about this girl. She looked like she had suffered something... Something unbearable. He felt sad himself.

"I am fine. Thank you-"

"Robin."

"Thank you Robin."

"No prob. Uh, let me introduce you to the Titans. If you're feeling well enough."

"The Titans?" Star wondered if that was a kind of food.

"They're my friends. They're great! I think you'll like them." Starfire noticed how happy he seemed when he talked about his friends.

"That would be delightful!" Starfire was just happy to find people who didn't want to hurt her. Her better mood made her subconsciously float.

Robin was shocked.

_She can fly. Wow. And she can form some sort of highly destructive energy with her hands. I should ask her to demonstrate her powers. She would make a great addition to the Titans._

Starfire looked at his shocked face and immediately dropped down. "I am sorry. I became too elated. You see, my feelings are directly connected to my... abilities."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize. You did nothing wrong." He liked how sweet this girl was. She was beautiful too.

_Ah... Are all alien girls this beautiful? AH! Shut up Robin..._

"Wonderful," Star said, with what Robin thought was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

He couldn't take his eyes off her, and Starfire noticed this.

"Hello? Friend Robin? Did I do something wrong?"

This snapped Robin out of his trance. "Oh, sorry. Uh, what was I about to do... Oh yeah! You have to meet the crew. They'll love you!"

"Hey guys... Uh guys?" Robin tried to get the attention of his two friends, who were arguing over a video game.

"Duuude! You're INSANE, Cyborg! There is NO WAY that _Street Fighters 3 _is better than _Tekken 2._ Have you no eyes!"

"Oh I got eyes. But YOU won't when I'm done with you!" Cyborg tackled Beast Boy off the sofa.

"GUYS!" Robin had been trying to talk to them for quite a while now.

"AHH!" Beast Boy and Cyborg both yelled in surprise.

"Dude! You don't have to yell right into my ear!" Beast Boy said. "My ears are sensitive enough."

"Anyways, what up Rob?" Cyborg, the half robot man was looking at him with interest.

Raven suddenly appeared to meet them. She had been meditating in her room when she heard Robin yelling.

"Everyone, I'd like you to officially meet Starfire. Starfire, this is Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven."

"Greetings friend Cyborg!"

"Hey! Glad you're better." Cyborg said a little nervously.

"Hello friend Beast Boy"

"Hi! Do you like tofu?" Beast Boy was so happy that she called him a friend.

"Umm... Tofu? Who is that?" Starfire looked around the room for another person.

Robin found himself blushing as he watched her actions.

_So cute... Gah! Snap out of it!_

"Oh my GOD! You don't know what tofu is? DUDE! You're missing out!" Beast Boy ran to the fridge in search of tofu.

"Trust me," Raven said with a book in her hand. "You're not missing out,"

"Ah, hello friend Raven!" Starfire was relieved to see another girl. Things could get uncomfortable with only guys around.

"Hi." Raven glanced up from her book for a second to respond.

Starfire was a bit disappointed at Raven's depressing "Hi."

"Don't worry," whispered Beast Boy to her. "She's always like that."

"I heard that," Raven said in a not so monotone voice.

Robin was pleased to see Starfire get along with his friends. Well, it was hard to imagine a person not getting along with someone like her. But as he saw her float around examining the tower, Robin couldn't help but wonder if it was all just a facade. Is she hiding pain behind that beautiful smile? She seemed bitter about her past. Something tragic had happened, but Starfire couldn't bring herself to talk about it. Robin hoped she would someday recover. He wanted to make her truly happy.

_Wha? What's wrong with me? I barely know her... But she's so amazing._

It was time. Cyborg had all the machines ready, and Robin had just finished explaining what kind of obstacles there will be. It was time for Starfire to show the Titans her powers. She felt nervous, but the excitement filled her with infinite energy.

"Okay Starfire, ready?" Cyborg said while checking the controls once more.

"Yes. I am ready." Starfire clenched her hands into fists and got in her own unique fighting stance.

_Teacher Kal El... I wish you were here... I will make you proud. _

**End of Chapter 6**

Yay! short i think but all my chapters are! its my way to procrastinate. lol. Yes. so will Starfire's moves impress the Titans, and especially Robin? Is Robin falling for Starfire? well DUH. haha. What the hell happened to Superman? Maybe you'll find out. Maybe not! Oh and I have no clue about the whole Street Fighter/Tekken thing cuz theres so many of them. but i remember Tekken having better graphics. lol.


	7. Test of Pain

Ice skating party:

me: skating and talking with friends

a bunch of guys!! (they were calling my name, which i wont reveal:P)

me: what the hell?

guys: We saw you guys yesterday!

me: whaaa?

then I'm suddenly being chased by guys and I'm trying to skate away but they surround me! I got hugged... normally I wouldn't have cared, but I had just seen my parents arrive...

Anyways, my parents saw us and they were like RAWR and I was in some deep sht for no reason. Which is my excuse for not updating sooner! And I still have no idea what those guys were talking about. Ah life is so confusing!

SORRY! ON WITH THE STORY!

**Chapter 7**

**Test of Pain**

"Here we go!" Cyborg hit the red button, and the test began.

First came the laser cannons, which surrounded Starfire and shot red beams rapidly at her. She quickly gathered energy in her hands and blasted away all the cannons with ease.

"Whoah! She destroyed all of them in... 2.2 seconds!" Beast Boy was amazed.

"WHAT! She broke my record!" Cyborg couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Starfire overheard this and took it the wrong way. "Ah! I am sorry for destroying them. I just acted out of self defense. I am truly sorry!"

"No, it's ok! We do that all the time," Robin said. "They'll be fixed later. Don't worry about it and concentrate on the test!" He was worried that Starfire might get hurt if she got distracted, and he was absolutely awestruck by her strength and agility.

At that moment when she was looking at Robin, something hit her back from behind.

"UH!" The pain she felt brought back memories of those cold metal arms that had crushed her not so long ago. She turned around quickly to face her enemy, wanting nothing more than to destroy the thing that reminded her of her tragic past. Standing before her was a giant robot that looked much like the one that had taken Kal El from her.

_Kal El... Hah, _more_ pain. No! I have to concentrate. Kal El is safe. Blackfire has let him go. I trust her... I must! No matter what she does, she is still my dear sister._

But as Star looked back at the machine, she lost all control. Anger erupted in her like a volcano and all of a sudden, her whole figure was glowing bright green. The painful memories set her in a confused rage. She flew straight into the robot, which was more than ten times her size, and slammed it to the ground with just a push. She could control her emotions no more. She made a huge starbolt, bigger than herself, and smashed it into the machine.

_BOOM! _

_Pssssss..._

The Titans stared, gaping at what they saw. Where the robot had been, there was a giant hole filled with silver liquid.

"SHE MELTED THE ROBOT!" Cyborg was shocked out of his wits. "SHE MELTED _MY _ ROBOT IN ONE BLAST! THAT WAS FORTIFIED TITANIUM!"

"Dudes, SHE'S HELLA STRONG!" Beast boy said, equally amazed as Cyborg.

All Raven could say was, "whoah."

However, as they looked down at Starfire, they could see that she was trying desperately to control her rage. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't control her pain and anger.

_NO! I HAVE TO CONTROL IT! CALM DOWN! Calm... Down..._

"Starfire!" Robin yelled, but she still couldn't hear him in her rage. She heard nobody for a while. "Starfire! The test is over! You did great!"

The green aura surrounding Starfire began to slowly fade away. She kept still, concentrating on one word. _Control._

She could hear him now. "It is over...? I have passed? Oh, glorious!" She was about to fly up to Robin and give him a giant hug, when she suddenly felt her vision fading. She felt faint. Her mind refused to focus.

_Not again... How... many times... have I... fainted? So... Tired... _

_Thump._

"Starfire!" Robin screamed. He jumped out of the stands to get to her. "She's unconscious! Cyborg, get her examined quick! Raven, you have to heal her no matter what!"

"Yeah. Hurry, bring her in!" Cyborg ran to the infirmary.

Raven quickly flew after Cyborg, her expression even more solemn than usual.

_Robin... Starfire's most painful scars cannot be healed, even by magic. _

"Do you see anything wrong with her?" Robin said worriedly.

Cyborg looked grim. "We should have had her examined when we brought her in the first time..."

Robin looked down at Starfire with sad eyes. "What's the analysis?"

"After running a couple of tests, this is what I found." Cyborg typed rapidly on the control panels and a chart came up on the giant screen. "This graph shows her energy level compared to the energy level of the average nuclear power plant."

"What!" Beast Boy yelled. "Are you sure you didn't screw up the numbers? Her energy level is like twice as high as the power plant's!"

"I know. And no, I did not mess it up. She has enough energy in her body to power Jump City by herself." Cyborg continued after seeing the amazed looks on everyone's faces. "Well anyways, enough said about that. She has a lot of critical injuries to be taken care of. There's the concussion from when Slade hit her hard in the head. And it looks like she's been walking around with three broken ribs all this time. There's also a hairline fracture on her right arm. That's probably from today. She should take it easy for at least two weeks. Seems that she heals faster than humans. Still, it was a bad idea for her to have taken the test when she had such severe injuries to begin with. It's strange though..." Cyborg said curiously.

"What is it?" Robin asked impatiently.

"Just that it looks like she fainted from stress rather than physical pain. And why didn't she tell us she was in pain? She just walked around like she was downright fine."

"Dude..." Beast Boy said while looking at the unconscious Starfire. "How the hell did she smash that gigantic robot to the ground with _three _broken ribs? I mean the impact would have killed any human being, right?" For once, Beast Boy was being serious.

"It's all my fault!" Robin yelled, furious at himself. "I carelessly attacked her! And today I was so eager to see her powers that I just forced her to take the test!"

"It isn't your fault Robin," Raven said. "You didn't know any of this before."

"I-I just don't understand! She looked fine. She looked so happy! Why would she just keep it all inside like this?" Robin was angry at himself and Starfire.

"I know why..." said Raven solemnly.

"What?" Robin calmed down a bit to listen to Raven.

"When I talked to her, I could sense a lot of pain and sadness within her. I tried to block it out but I saw bits of her past. It was _horrible_. She didn't want to mention anything because it would always lead to the past. Something terrible happened to her and she didn't want to relive it. She didn't want us to worry about her either..." Raven looked down at Starfire's face. It looked so peaceful right now. It made her want to break out in tears.

"Raven... Can you tell us what you saw?" Robin wanted to know. He wanted to understand Starfire and help her.

"I only saw scattered bits. It was as if she needed someone to lift her burden, but she didn't want to give her pain to others. I was just reading next to her and these memories just invaded my mind. There was a girl who looked kind of like her... and cold robot arms. A man was dying... and she was screaming. That's all I saw. I couldn't take it anymore, so I ended it when I finally gained control. It hurt for me to watch." Raven could feel her hands shaking slightly.

"Why didn't you tell us all this before the test?" Robin was a little frustrated that Raven knew all this and didn't say anything.

"If she wanted us to know, she would have told us herself. I didn't want to disrespect that. Sorry Robin." Raven felt a sick sense of guilt in her stomach.

"No...what you did...you did the right thing. I should be the one apologizing." Robin gave Raven a reassuring grin.

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy. "I'm sure she'll get better soon. I mean it only took her a day to recover from whatever horrible thing happened to her. We'll help her through all this."

"As weird as it is, Beast Boy makes sense right now," Raven teased now that she was feeling much better.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" It had taken a while for the green boy to realize what she meant by that.

"Nothing at all," Raven replied sarcasticly.

Robin looked at the girl lying in front of him. Each time he looked at her, or even thought about her, his heart started pounding like crazy. It was becoming increasingly difficult to resist temptation. He desired nothing more than to hold her hand, caress her, kiss her, talk to her, just be with her. Yet something was wrong. Although Starfire seemed so passionate and friendly, he found it hard to approach her in the same way. There was an invisible barrier she encased herself in. She was determined to keep everyone out. Like she wanted love, friendship, and happiness, but she was afraid. Robin smiled. He was determined to get Star to open up. She needed friends. After all, his friends were always there to cheer him up. What would he ever do without them?

_Starfire... Starfire... _

_Who are you? Show yourself!_

_It is I... Kal El._

_Kal El? Teacher! Where are you?_

_Princess... You mustn't return to Tamaran. _

_Why? I need to go back. My people need me._

_No! If you go back now, Blackfire will try anything and everything to kill you._

_Sister? She would do no such thing. She is my dear sister!_

_Princess... Don't you see? She betrayed you! She let jealousy and hate conquer her. She rules Tamaran now._

_Sister became Queen? What has happened to Father? _

_The king has taken ill. Blackfire told him that you ran away, Princess. The Tamaranians think you ran away from your destiny. They think of you as a coward now. If you return now, Blackfire will kill you._

_No! Father... I have let you down once again... What am I to do, teacher?_

_Stay where you are. Stay on Earth. Blackfire does not know you are here._

_But I must see Father! I cannot stay here when he is ill! Teacher? Kal El? Answer me!_

_I wish I could be with you. I wish you could go back. But for now, you have to stay where you are. It is vital. Stay with your new friends. Forget about me. It will be safer._

_Teacher! Kal El! Please do not leave me again! I cannot go on like this! I cannot forget you!_

_Princess... you will go on. I know you can. Every waking moment without you by my side is so painful. But I keep going. For you. Forget about me for now. It's for the best. I must go now._

Starfire suddenly woke up, drenched in cold sweat.

_Kal El... He is alive! _


	8. Faint

**Chapter 8**

**Faint**

"Ah!" Starfire yelped in pain. Her head was throbbing, and she clutched her abdomen in pain. Just sitting up in bed lit her back on fire. She had been feeling this pain ever since... she didn't want to think about it. She didn't show it because she didn't want them to worry. She just wanted everyone to be happy. She just wanted to be happy.

"Ugh," Starfire gasped and covered her mouth as she coughed. Red hot liquid was all over her hand.

"Starfire..." came a voice. Robin had been sitting by her bed watching her the whole time.

Starfire turned to him in surprise. She tried to hide her bloody hand, but he had already seen everything.

"You know...you don't have to hide anything from us. Especially injuries like that." Robin stared sadly at her bloodied hand.

"I... am completely healthy, Robin." She looked around frantically, trying to find something to wipe her hand with...anything to keep from looking at the worried boy standing right in front of her.

"No. You're not." Robin looked determined to get her to admit her pain.

She reached for a tissue box and flinched as pain shot through her back. It was too real to ignore anymore.

"No... And I am afraid I will never be..." Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"It's okay. I'll make it all go away. All your pain. All your tears. I'll make them go away. I _promise_." Robin sat next to her and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

She stiffened at the contact but let him hold her. His touch was so warm and tender. She burried her face in his chest and cried silently. They remained like that until there were no more tears.

"Thank you." Starfire finally pulled away, and Robin immediately desired to hold her again.

Star took a deep breath to try to ease the pain she felt all over. Feeling a little better, she put on a smile for the boy who had been so caring towards her.

Robin felt his heart skip a beat. For a moment he thought she was using some sort of mysterious power to enchant his heart.

_I love when she smiles... Whoah! Robin, you idiot... Crime fighting has really made you lose one too many brain cells. She's not using any powers. It's just you! Ah! This has never happened before. I don't like this feeling! What exactly is this feeling anyways? Oh crap! She must think I'm really weird!_

Starfire noticed Robin's face growing red and wondered if she did something wrong.

_Ah, did I say something wrong? Friend Robin always seems very... stiff in my presence. He has been very kind to me. He can make me smile, or at least make me try... I wonder what he looks like without that mask..._

Star felt herself also blushing for no particular reason. She was about to get up when a jolt of pain knocked her right back down.

"Starfire! You shouldn't be moving around like that. If you break anymore bones...well, it would hurt!" That was the best Robin could come up with.

"I am very much aware of that. But it is so uneventful to keep resting!" Star wanted nothing more than to fly right now. Fly up, up, and up, until she could fly no more and her eyes watered.

"Yeah, but that's the thing. You're broken in so many places that it's impossible for you to move without inflicting pain on yourself.

"I do not care about pain... I am used to it now." The sadness was back in her eyes.

"Starfire..." He wanted to help her, but how?

"Ah! This bandage has ripped! Friend Robin, could you help me?" The bandage wrapped around her whole upper body had ripped and knotted in several places.

"Uhh. Huh! Um... I don't think I should... you should probably get Raven to help you... she's better with this kind of stuff... I'll-"

"Please, Robin? I wish to do it myself, but my arms are bound by more bandages." Starfire kept trying to unwrap herself, but she could only move her arms so much.

"Um...fine..." Robin sat on the edge of Starfire's bed and put his arms around her waist. With one hand, he caught the end of the bandage and slowly began unwrapping her body. His heart was pounding into his brains, a mad blush coloring his whole body.

_AHHH! WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING! CALM DOWN! ... She's not wearing anything underneath the bandage... and I'm unwrapping it. That's all. No big deal. GAH! WHO AM I KIDDING! IT IS A DAMNABLY BIG DEAL! Ah... I feel..._

"Hm? Robin? Why have you stopped?" Starfire looked behind to look at him, only to find him unconscious on the floor.

"Robin!" Starfire exclaimed, worried that Robin was seriously ill. "Friends! Help! Friend Robin needs help!"


	9. NOT A Pervert!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS OR ANY SHOW!**

ok that last chapter was short because I was just editing this and I wanted to update it at least. so its more like a chapter 8 part II. And to answer people who were like "why wasn't she wearing anything underneath?" well you'll see after you read this chapter. lol glad you guys like this so far. Yeah, thanks for the reviews! They really motivate me so keep em coming :)

**Chapter 9**

**NOT A Pervert!**

Robin woke up with his heart thumping madly. He was in a bed. Starfire's chest rose and fell slowly in the bed next to his. He found himself staring and blushed.

"Yo, you okay man?" Cyborg was standing at the infirmary door.

Robin quickly tore his stare from the girl. "Yeah, I feel fine. What happened?"

"We heard Starfire scream and ran here as fast as we could."

"What happened to Starfire?" Robin would kill anyone who tried to harm her.

"Nothing. You were lying on the floor unconscious, and she was calling for help."

Now Robin remembered.

_We were alone and I was unwrapping the bandage... She wasn't wearing anything!_

"Did you see her?" Robin asked, slightly embarrassed. He couldn't help but be curious.

_Did Cyborg see her...naked? No! What am I thinking! Am I jealous? ...Of THIS?_

"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked, clearly not understanding what he was saying.

"Did you-"

"Don't worry Robin. She was wearing a bra. And I came first, so Cyborg didn't see anything...special." Raven came in from behind Cyborg.

"Oh..." Robin felt himself burning up again.

"Hey... Wait a minute," Beast Boy said, who now joined the others in the infirmary. "Is that why you fainted? Because you thought she was... _naked_?"

Robin's face was now as red as the blood that flowed inside him.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cyborg and Beast Boy both broke out in laughter. Raven just sighed.

"Oh man! I never knew Robin was so... AHAHAHA!" Cyborg couldn't stop laughing.

"Dude, I understand she's pretty and all... but you fainted? Pffft.. GAHAHAHA!" Beast Boy fell to the floor, laughing and holding his stomach.

"Sh-shut up! You're gonna wake her up!" Robin had never been so embarrassed in his life.

"Ooooh we don't want her waking up and making you faint again!" The two boys teased.

"Really... I think you guys should be quiet." Raven was floating menacingly behind the laughing boys, her hooded face dark and mysterious.

"Uh oh..." They knew it was not smart to make Raven angry.

"Let Starfire rest in peace." Although she said it like that, the boys knew what she meant was "get out if you wish to live."

"Okay!" Beast Boy yelled. "We're going!" And with that, Beast Boy and Cyborg ran out of the infirmary.

"Uh, thanks Raven." Robin was a little shocked at what Raven was capable of.

"You're welcome. I healed her broken bones, but she still needs some rest. I have to go meditate now... don't try anything weird around her while I'm gone." Raven grinned slightly and began walking out.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Just when he thought Raven was being nice, she had to accuse him of being a pervert!

Well, it was his perverted thoughts that caused him to faint in the first place...

_-------Next Morning-------_

Starfire woke at the sound of yells. It was coming from the living room.

"Sorry. Cyborg and Beast Boy are fighting over games again," Robin said. He had been there for quite a while, waiting for Starfire to wake up.

"Oh, I do not mind. It is wonderful to live with such friends!" She felt completely recovered after the long rest.

"So," Robin said, focusing on the lamp next to Starfire's bed. "If you're feeling better... Uh, you wanna come out and have lunch?"

"That would be most delightful, friend Robin," she said, getting out of bed.

"Alright!" Robin said, sounding a bit too excited than he wanted to.

Starfire suddenly tackled Robin, hugging him like he was a giant teddy bear. Robin felt like he might faint _again_, not only because his heart was pumping almost to the point of explosion, but because she had a _really _strong embrace.

"Ah...Starfire... I can't... breathe..." He did however catch a whiff of a pleasant scent coming from her hair.

Starfire quickly let go. "I am sorry! Ah, and I am sorry about what happened yesterday. I was just too eager to get out. I did not even consider... It was inappropriate, and I apologize!"

"Uh," Robin thought he was blushing way too much these days. "It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. Actually, I'm sorry too. You must think I'm a real pervert..."

"Pervert? What does that mean?"

"Um... Nevermind."

"Well, then let us have lunch!"

**End of Chapter 9**

Nothing has happened at all so far... so I'm going to start developing the story. so look forward to that! And of course, thank you all very very much for your reviews!


	10. What Do You See?

**Chapter 10**

**What Do You See?**

As she was walking, or rather floating, towards the main room with Robin, Starfire realized that this planet was very different from Tamaran.

_What exactly is this place?_

"Friend Robin... What is the name of this planet?"

Robin looked at her to see if she was joking, but she kept looking at him with curious eyes.

_Apparently not. Ah, I guess I forgot. She said she was from Tamaran. Besides, nobody on Earth would have such powers..._

"This planet? Uh, it's called Earth."

"Planet Earth... Wondeful."

Her eyes were looking to the common room, but they seemed to see something far, far away. Robin wondered what she was thinking. He couldn't help but be enchanted by those emerald eyes.

The day went quite well in Robin's opinion. Either Starfire was recovering amazingly fast, or she was acting fine. They all had lunch, and afterwards everyone went off to do their own thing.

Robin was on the training grounds trying new martial arts combinations when he saw Starfire flying nearby.

She landed lightly on her feet and started stretching. She was very flexible, but her injuries got in the way. Whenever she tried to stretch her back, she winced and failed. She kept trying over and over, and the pain seemed to go away a little. After a few painful tries, she succeeded in bending her back and touching her palms to the grass.

Robin admired how determined she was. A normal girl wouldn't be able to walk in that condition. But then again, she was no normal girl. He watched as she stretched some more.

Starfire finished her stretches and stood straight, staring at the cloudless blue sky. Looking satisfied, she lied down on the cold wet grass, eyes now closed.

Robin walked over as quietly as possible and lied next to her. She didn't seem to notice. He looked at her resting face. This was the face he had seen the most, because Starfire had been unconscious a lot during her stay with the Titans. Also, Robin was almost always by her side whenever she rested. He had the chance to stare at her for hours without any interruption.

_Jeeze... I'm practically a stalker. I should really stop looking at her._

"What do you see when you look at me?" Starfire said with her eyes still closed.

"Ah!" Robin said in surprise. All this time he thought she hadn't noticed him. How embarrassing...

"I...I thought I was really quiet." His heart was on the verge of exploding. Was it from embarrassment or something else?

"I have very keen hearing. And somehow... I can always sense your presence." Her eyes were still closed.

Robin wondered how she could be so calm while every part of him was just twitching to explode.

"Well?" She said expectantly.

"Huh?"

"You have not answered my question. What do you see when you look at me? Clearly you see something very interesting, because you are always looking at me." Starfire grinned slightly.

"Uh... Well... I see...I don't know." There were many things his heart was telling him, but he didn't want to say any of them.

Starfire had her eyes open now, her head slightly tilted towards Robin so she could see him.

"You do not know? Or you do not wish to know?"

Her lips were smiling, but for some reason, her eyes looked sad.

"I..." Robin did not know what to say.

"I am not feeling too well," she said, tired of waiting for him to say something. "I will go and rest now. Good-bye Robin."

With that, she got up and flew away. Just a few paces away, she dropped down to her feet and started running instead.

_I cannot fly anymore... Friend Robin seems to have feelings for me, but he will never say anything. I should not want his love. Not that kind. I am already in love... with a man I must forget. _

_But I will never forget. Do you not realize, Kal El? It is simply impossible... No matter how desperately I try... _

_I will never forget any of this._

Robin just watched as she ran away. He ran to the nearest punching bag and hit it until his gloves tore and his hands bled.

_I'm an IDIOT! Why can't I say anything around her? I tell her to be honest and look at me! Agh! SO STUPID!_

He looked at his bleeding hands and collapsed onto his knees. He just kneeled silently, still looking at his hands.

_Can't concentrate. _

_All I can think about is her. _

_I'm such a coward... such a damn coward._

**End of Chapter 10**

Sorry for the late update, got the next chapter pretty much ready so yeah. thanks for the reviews! Next chapter will be very interesting... in my opinion of course :P


	11. Reunion

Hmm... well someone informed me in a review that i made my last chapter too soap opera-ish. Sorry about that. I really don't like soaps. How disappointing that I made my own writing resemble something I don't like! Oh well... hopefully this one is better.

**Chapter 11**

**Reunion**

His alarm sounded.

5:29 am.

Trouble at the city.

He got out of bed quickly and put on his "uniform." With his utility belt fastened, he ran out to meet with the rest of the Titans. Starfire was there, looking very nervous.

"What's happening?" said a still sleepy Beast Boy.

"There's a big fight down at the city. Heard it's one guy against a bunch of cops or something." Cyborg was able to get a little information by picking up the police radio transmission.

"I don't think it's anyone we've dealt with before. We should be careful." Robin had a bad feeling about this guy.

"Let's go already," Raven said. She looked a bit cranky from the lack of sleep.

_-------Jump City_

As the Titans raced to the scene, they could hear explosions and screams everywhere.

Robin was the first to sight the problem.

A mysterious man threw a police officer at the nearest building. The walls of the building cracked, causing the building to crash onto the officer.

_He's really strong. Is Starfire well enough to handle this? I can't have her getting injured like that again._

Robin was about to ask Starfire of her condition when a stream of red light blasted at her. Starfire dodged the beam easily and charged to the source of the beam; the mysterious man causing all this trouble.

She was right in front of him, her fist clenched to give him a good punch in the face. There was dust everywhere, preventing her from seeing anything. and...

_BANG!_

An officer stood far away, gun pointed towards Starfire.

Starfire tripped and fell. She felt sharp pain in her left shoulder. Hot blood was oozing out, and she was becoming dizzy.

The man took this opportunity to strike her, but Starfire blocked him with one hand.

She was surprised at how strong the man was. Was it because she was about to collapse, or was this man really that powerful?

Just in time, Beast Boy transformed into a rhino and charged into the man. The man turned to the rhino and picked him up. He threw Beast Boy, who had just changed into a whale to crush the man, onto a group of police officers. A violent explosion followed.

Starfire took this chance to fly up. She formed a starbolt using her uninjured shoulder and threw it at the man.

_BOOM!_

"Ahh!" the man yelped in pain and fell.

Starfire flew down to him to make sure he was finished. Something didn't seem right...

The man was breathing hard. His eyes were glowing red, but the light was fading.

Starfire couldn't see well because it was dark, and she was getting dizzier by the second.

The man suddenly grabbed her arm, causing her to wince in pain.

Blood dripped down her arm and onto his.

"Starfire," Robin yelled. He had just taken care of the police officers. Raven had found out that they were actually robots disguised as police officers.

_Slade's robots_.

"...Princess..." The man still held her arm.

"No... Kal El!" Starfire knelt and supported the man in her arms.

"Kal El, what has happened to you? Why are you here? Why..." Starfire was in tears, and she had so many questions.

If only she could stay conscious long enough to hear his answers...

_The whole city blackened around her and she saw nothing more._

**End of Chapter 11**

Okay. What will happen next? Hmm i know. aahaha... well i dont really know but i make it all happen so its okayy!


	12. Rival

Hey peoples thanks for the reviews once again! I really appreciate it. Its like Christmas presents! but so much better!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR SUPERMAN**

wow.. that was a lame disclaimer. but i keep forgetting them!

**Chapter 12**

**Rival**

She woke up drenched in cold sweat.

_Was it just a nightmare? _

But that thought was blown away by the stinging pain in her left shoulder.

_The shot... Then it must be real! Kal El!_

She was getting out of bed to search for him when she heard footsteps.

It was Robin.

"I'm glad you're awake. We were all worried," he said with a grim face.

"Where is Kal...the man?" She was anxious to see her former teacher.

"Huh? Oh, him... He's being watched at the top floor." Robin wondered what her relation was to that man.

_She was holding him close in her arms... crying. Surely she doesn't cry for villains she just beat up... Does she? She's really nice but that would be just too much._

" I must see him now. Thank you Robin." She took flight and quickly disappeared.

"You're welcome," he whispered as she flew away.

Cyborg saw Starfire flying towards the room.

"Hey, hey, hey. Hold on there. I don't think you should go in. That man from yesterday is in there, and you should be resting!"

"I am perfectly well friend Cyborg, so please let me in!" She was becoming desperately impatient.

" Fine, fine...go ahead. I gotta work on my ride anyways." Cyborg knew she wouldn't give up anyways.

She rushed into the room to find Raven and Beast Boy talking to someone. They stopped and turned around when they heard her come in.

"Star, you feeling alright now?" Beast Boy said.

"Yes, I am fine." Starfire couldn't see who they were talking to because they blocked her view, but she just knew it was Kal El.

"You came to talk to him..." Raven had realized not that long ago that this man was the man from Starfire's past.

_He was the one I saw in her memories... I wonder what happened between them._

"Yes," Starfire said.

Her heart was beating out of her chest. She had never been this nervous in her life. There was a tight knot in her stomach, and she felt like running away.

_Why am I feeling so nervous? It is just Kal El! But I have not seen him since... I... Is he unharmed? He was in pain last night. I have caused it! Once again, I cause pain to Teacher... I am not worthy of his presence._

She turned around and started walking for the door. She felt sure that Kal El would not want to talk to her after all that happened.

"And just where do you think you're going, Princess?" It was a slightly overconfident, smug voice. Just the way she remembered.

She turned around and looked at him.

He was thinner than before, and his hair was even messier. He still looked handsome.

"You weren't planning on just walking out on me, were you?" He stood up and walked towards her.

Beast Boy eyed him suspiciously. "Hey! Don't get too close or I'll tear you into pieces!"

"It's okay Beast Boy," said Raven. "They know each other."

Beast Boy stopped in his tracks and just looked at the man approaching Starfire.

Starfire looked at Kal El, so many thoughts rushing through her head.

"Well? Didn't you miss me?" Kal El was smiling with his arms spread wide, waiting for Starfire to crush him in one of her passionate hugs.

"Is it really you?" Starfire did not hug him.

"Yes. I'm Kal El of Krypton. You're Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran." Kal El looked more serious now.

"Not anymore..." Starfire looked down.

"Whaa? You're a princess! That's so COOL! We gotta tell Robin! Come on Raven!" Beast Boy grabbed Raven's arm and started pulling her out the door. Raven decided to follow.

_Those two probably need some time alone._

Raven's steps echoed and disappeared. It was just the two of them in the room now.

Everything was quiet.

They looked at each other in silence until Kal El started a conversation.

"Princess, is there something wrong?" He looked deep into her emerald eyes.

"... Is there something wrong?" Starfire repeated.

"Perhaps you do not remember that I almost killed you last night? Perhaps you forgot that not too long ago, my sister also tried to kill you?" Frustration boiled in her blood.

"Now you come back to me with that careless smile. As if you have not changed at all!"

She took a moment to breathe and calm down.

"Did you forget everything, Teacher?"

Tears stung her eyes and her whole body shook.

"Did you forget _everything _we went through?"

She was so quiet when she said all of this.

She could have yelled at him, slapped him, or even ran away, but she didn't.

The sadness in her voice was enough to tear his heart into pieces.

"No... no, no, no!" Kal El finally replied.

"Absolutely not! I have not forgotten _anything_. I remember everything that happened!" His voice was almost desperate. He didn't want her to be so depressed.

"How can I forget?" He whispered. His face looked a little sad now.

"Then why do you act as if everything is still perfect? Why do you still call me princess and smile at me?"

She just didn't understand.

"I was just so happy to see you again. When I was reunited with you, everything _was _perfect. And I will always call you princess because that's who you are, no matter what. As for the smile... how can anyone_ not_ smile at you?"

It was Starfire's turn to smile.

"You always knew what to say to make me smile, Teacher."

Kal El put his arms around her tightly.

Tears trickled down her cheeks, but they were not tears of sadness or pain.

She felt so safe being held by him, like she was back home again before all the bad things happened.

------At the common room---------

"Hey Robin! Did you know Starfire is a princess of another planet!" Beast Boy could hardly contain his excitement.

"What? She told you that?" Robin wondered if Beast Boy was just pulling his leg.

"No, but that guy did!"

"Who?"

"The guy Starfire knocked out yesterday," said Raven from behind Beast Boy.

Robin's mind went blank.

"Uh... hello? You in there Robin? WAKE UP!" The green boy tried everything to get his attention but he was still in some kind of trance.

Finally Robin stirred and blinked his eyes.

"I gotta go," he said and ran off.

"Ehh? What's with him?" Beast Boy just stared towards the direction Robin ran off to.

"Looks like Robin's finally got a rival. This should be interesting..." Raven grinned just slightly.

"Huh? A rival? Are you talking about me? What are we rivals for?" He was truly clueless.

"Nevermind. Just stop talking," said a now annoyed Raven.

Robin was running as fast as he could through the corridors.

He knew that the man from yesterday had something to do with Starfire...

_Who is he! Why did Starfire want to see him so badly? I just gotta find her! _

He was almost at the room entrance.

Cyborg was nowhere to be seen.

_Where the hell is Cyborg? He was supposed to guard the guy! What if Starfire's in there all alone with that guy! What if he tries to hurt her! No! STARFIRE!_

He reached the door and was about to open it when he heard a voice.

"Absolutely not! I have not forgotten _anything_. I remember everything that happened!"

It was a man's voice.

"How can I forget?"

"Then why do you act as if everything is still perfect? Why do you still call me princess and smile at me?"

Robin's whole body eased a bit at the sound of Starfire's voice.

_She's safe._

"I was just so happy to see you again. When I was reunited with you, everything _was _perfect. And I will always call you princess because that's who you are, no matter what. As for the smile... how can anyone_ not_ smile at you?"

His hand froze on the doorknob. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop... But this guy was totally comfortable flirting with Starfire... like he was her boyfriend or something.

"You always knew how to make me smile, Teacher."

_Teacher? Starfire's teacher?_

Robin thought he heard enough. It was no big deal after all! That guy was just her teacher. He had been all tense for nothing.

He turned the doorknob and tried to open the door, but a shoe was caught underneath the door.

_How many times do I have to tell Beast Boy not to throw his shoes everywhere!_

Robin looked through the barely open door, but all he could see was the guy.

_Wait a minute. He's hugging... Starfire! Wait... no big deal. It's just a friendly hug right?_

Robin waited and waited for them to break their embrace, but it never happened.

Starfire just stood there in his arms. She looked so happy.

Robin ran.

He ran and ran until he was out of the tower.

He ran til he could run no more.

Then he finally calmed down and came to a simple yet concise conclusion.

_He likes Starfire. He's my rival._

**End of Chapter 12**

I think that was good enough in terms of length. I was going to split it up in two but then im like nahhhh thats way too short man! So tell me what you think so far. The story's developing sloowwwwwwly so kinda sorry about that. Is Teen Titans in like a new season or something? All these episodes i havent seen are coming on! woohoo! lol. I saw the one that kinda centered around Starfire. She goes after the radioactive man and ends up with the funny accent man. And then Robin's like "She's all alone out there! We gotta get her!" and he totally doesnt care that he's freezing to death himself. How cuuuute! Ahhh! i love how the creaters make Robin and Starfire get closer and closer so discretely! lol ok enough! but i hope theres more episodes centered on them! Oh and i didnt finish that episode cuz my mom wanted to watch something. poo. but i like that other show too. haha. so its all good. its all good.

might not update tomorrow due to concert, bla bla. o o harry potter comes out on the 19th or something. sweet.


	13. Immature

**Chapter 13**

**Chapter 13**

**Immature**

_**Another brilliant morning... I'm ready. For whatever.**_

Robin jumped out of his bed and did some stretches.

_6:30 am. My favorite time of the day. Time to train with Starfire. _

He clipped on his utility belt and set out to the training grounds.

_BOOM!_

"Well, well, well. You've gotten even stronger since last time. Very impressive." The boyish grin betrayed his muscular appearance.

"I could not train much because of my injuries. And now I have another injury from this... shot gun. I cannot move my arm at all." Starfire wanted to look serious, but it was hard not to smile after being complimented by Kal El.

"You mean gunshot?" laughed Kal El.

"Oh, yes. That is what I meant to say." Starfire blushed and looked away, only to find Robin walking towards her.

"Robin!" Starfire flew towards him and gave him a big hug.

"Hey Star," said Robin happily. "You're up earlier than usual."

"Oh, yes. Teacher Kal El wanted to make sure I have been improving on my combat skills."

"Oh." Robin's elation was replaced by slight disappointment and jealousy.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself. I'm Kal El. Nice to meet you." Kal El held out his hand.

"Yeah... I'm Robin. Nice to meet you too."

Robin shook his hand with a crushing force, but Kal El didn't seem affected.

"Thanks for looking after the princess. She had me really worried."

When Kal El put a hand on Starfire's shoulder, Robin felt like throttling him.

"No problem," said Robin through gritted teeth. "So, you ready for training?"

"As always," said Star with a smile.

"Cool."

Robin's happiness came back as Starfire floated next to him.

Kal El stood behind them looking hesitant. Starfire noticed.

"Robin, is it okay if Teacher trains with us?"

Robin looked blank.

_Ahhh! Of course it's NOT OKAY! This is what Starfire and I do every morning! It's OUR thing. He can't interfere! I won't let him! ... _

Starfire smiled patiently, waiting for him to snap out of his reverie. Her brows were slightly raised and her head cocked to the side.

_Ohhhh no. No, no, no, no, no! _

_Not that face!_

_Ahhh so pretty... and cute! _

_How can I say no to a face like that? _

_Damn!_

"Of course it's okay. The more, the merrier. Yeah..." He tried on his best fake smile.

"Oh, glorious! This is absolutely exhilarating!" Starfire couldn't help but float higher and higher. The two people she really cared for were getting along better than she ever imagined.

Kal El glanced at Robin.

_Hmph. Bird boy doesn't want me to come. He just wants to be alone with the princess. But I won't let that happen. Who knows what he'd try? Well, I'll kill him before he tries anything._

Robin looked back at him.

_Argh. Can't that guy take a hint? Just wait. I'll kick his sorry ass in front of Starfire. He's a sicko anyways. I mean, come on! Teacher-student relationship! Not while I'm still alive._

The two men's glaring contest was interrupted by Starfire.

"Um... Is there a problem?"

She cocked her head curiously, utterly oblivious to the very awkward and intense situation.

Robin and Kal El were now staring at her, both apparently dumbfounded.

(Ok change! instead of italics i will use ''' for thoughts. make it easier you know.)

Robin felt his cheeks burn up. 'She's so... cute! Oh wow. I need to stop using that word...'

Kal El was having similar side effects. 'How adorable! Ahhh Adorable! I'll have to make sure never to say that out loud...'

Starfire blinked. 'Did I do something wrong? Why did they turn so... red? Oh no! Are they ill?'

"You are both looking ill!" said Starfire landing with a soft _thump_. "I am sorry. We can postpone training until you two are well once more. I was so absorbed in my own joy that I did not consider anyone else. Forgive me."

"No!" cried the two guys.

They glared at each other once more.

Robin spoke first.

"Starfire, I'm fine! In fact, I haven't felt this... healthy in ages!" He stole a glance at Kal El and a brilliant idea popped into his head. "Um, but Kal El doesn't look too well. He looks kind of weird. So how about we let him rest and train by ourselves?"

"WHAT! NO!" Kal El looked at Robin with murderous eyes. "Princess, I am completely, absolutely healthy! If I was any healthier, I would... die!"

Robin decided to use this stupid comment to his advantage. "See? He says he's gonna die! We have to let him rest. In fact, lets ship him off to China! I'm sure they have great herbs to cure him!"

"Why you little...!"

"Little what!

"Gay bird boy!"

"Oh you're making fun of _my _name! What the hell does _Kal El _mean! 'Cause for some reason, it reminds me of COW SHIT!"

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD!"

"We'll see about that you-"

Robin did not have a chance to finish his rather rude remark, because at that moment, Kal El tackled him into the nearest punching dummy.

"Ugh!"

Before Kal El could throw in a punch, Robin slipped in between his legs and kicked him roughly in the back.

"Agh!"

He jumped right above Kal El's head, his foot about to bash into his opponent's skull.

At the same time, Kal El was aiming his fist at Robin's stomach.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" yelled Robin.

"NO, I'LL KILL _YOU!"_

"_STOP!"_ came a feminine voice, and both men were immediately paralized in their movement.

Starfire was standing between them. Kal El's fist was blocked by her right hand, and Robin's foot by her left arm.

There was also a black energy engulfing them.

"Please... _stop,_" she repeated quietly.

"Starfire...your shoulder's bleeding again."

It was Raven. She had seen the three of them and paralyzed the guys with her power just in time.

Starfire quietly maneuvered out of the frozen fight and touched the bloody wound in her left shoulder.

"I... I did not want them to hurt each other...I am tired of all this pain."

"I understand," said Raven, observing the blood dripping from Starfire's fingers.

The hand on her wounded shoulder was shaking violently. She squeezed her shoulder hard to try and stop the shaking, but it only caused more blood to ooze out.

Everything was silent save the sound of blood dripping onto smooth asphalt.

Everyone was just staring at the puddle of blood that was forming slowly on the ground.

Raven decided to break the silence.

"But what were _you_ guys thinking?" she asked, now looking at Kal El and Robin.

"You almost hit Starfire." Her voice was calm, but she was no doubt very angry.

"He pissed me off!" yelled Robin, still frozen.

"You started it!" retorted Kal El, who was also frozen in a rather funny position.

"I don't care who started it. Stop fighting." Raven was losing her patience.

Starfire finally let go of her shoulder and stared briefly at her reddened hand. She then walked over to Raven silently.

"Thank you Raven." With that said, she started walking towards the tower.

"Starfire!"

Starfire stopped, and Robin thought she would come back.

She didn't.

Robin tried to run after her but Raven was still controlling him.

Kal El also struggled in vain.

Starfire didn't look back. She walked away.

"Smooth," said Raven. She finally released them from her power and followed Starfire into the tower.

Kal El and Robin watched as Starfire and Raven walked away from them, then they looked at each other. There was no more malice in their eyes. Just shame.

**End of Chapter 13**

Daaaaaaaaamn sorry for the hella hella late update. I just. I dont know what happened. but really sorry. hope you liked this one. i know i know theres blood in like every chapter! I dont know why. it just makes me feel better when someone gets injured. haha. kidding. Well i guess my limited imagination only allows me to visualize simple things like blood. too bad. I wonder if anyone is even going to read this. cuz its been a while.


	14. Approaching Peril

Yeah, so slow update huh? I apologize, and right now i have a pretty good idea for the next chapter, so hopefully it wont take long to update. Well, without further ado, here is the latest on the story!

**Chapter 14**

**Approaching Peril**

'_It hurts... but I am used to it now. I should not be used to it. This should not be happening to me... I thought it would all go away now that I have been reuinited with Kal El. I was wrong. Always, everything goes wrong! Why is this happening to me! Too much. Too much... What should I do? Uh! I cannot even think anymore!'_

"Starfire!"

It was Robin. He was still paralyzed by Raven.

His voice sounded different. It was so... _longing_.

It made her stop in her tracks. It made her want to turn around so badly.

But she didn't.

She couldn't.

If she turned around and looked at them, if she saw what she had caused... well she didn't know what would happen then.

So she kept walking.

A bit later, she heard Raven catch up to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," she said and touched her wounded arm.

She thought bitterly, '_Stupid thing. When will you stop bleeding? If you want to bleed so much, then make it sting too!' _

"I don't mean your arm. I mean, how are _you_?"

They were now inside the tower, with Raven guiding Starfire to the infirmary.

"I... am not certain."

"Well, lets stop this bleeding first," said Raven.

She had never seen Starfire look so melancholy. As much as she hated doing this "girl talk" thing, she had to say it.

"Then we can talk about it, if you really want to."

"Thank you, friend Raven," Star replied, and hugged her.

"Um... how about we do this hugging thing _after _I bandage you up. 'Cause I'm thinking you're really going to-"

_Thump_

"Faint."

Starfire had indeed fainted before Raven had even finished her sentence, but luckily, onto the infirmary bed.

Raven sighed.

"I wonder, do all alien girls enjoy hugging and fainting?" She hoped they didn't.

"Looks like I'm going to have to watch over this whole love triangle thing. What a pain..."

She wrapped a fresh roll of bandage around the lower part of her lower shoulder and down to her arm.

She heard footsteps in the hallway.

Robin appeared at the infirmary door, followed closely by Kal El. Both were looking disheveled and concerned.

Robin spoke first.

"What happened to her? What... how-"

"She fainted from blood loss," said Raven, determined to be as apathetic as possible to the guys.

"This is all my fault," muttered Kal El, holding his head between his hands.

"I'm so stupid," said Robin while his eyes carefully scrutinized the bandaged girl lying on the bed. Blood was still seeping through the bandages.

He walked over to a nearby table and opened a drawer. He took out a roll of bandage and dressing, and walked back to the bed. He carefully lifted Starfire up to a sitting position and applied the dressing over the bloody bandage. Then he wrapped more bandage over the whole thing, and tied the ends.

He examined his bloodied hands.

'_That's all I can do for now... so much blood... and because of me..'_

Kal El stood watching as the other boy washed his hands.

'_He's a completely different person now. Not the annoying, pissed off brat from before... he obviously cares a lot about the princess. This is going to be more difficult than I thought...'_

Robin walked over to the unconscious girl and tenderly swept her hair out of her face.

Kal El pondered over a few more things.

'_What should I do? I have to tell her soon... but I will have to wait for now.'_

"Thanks Robin," said Raven. "She'll be okay for now, so let the three of us have a little talk."

'_Uh oh...' _thought both guys.

A "little talk" always meant a huge lecture. And they had a pretty good idea of what exactly the lecture would be about.

The discussion took place in the hallway far from the infirmary so they wouldn't disturb Starfire.

"Well, I think we can all agree that what happened back there was very... regrettable. No that's being too nice. What I meant to say was, you guys are the most idiotic jackasses in this world. Yes, that would be a more fitting description."

After saying this, Raven gave both Robin and Kal El a menacing glare, expecting them to say something.

Anything...

Kal El couldn't take it anymore so he decided to speak.

"Uh, you see... um, what's your name?"

"Raven."

"Well, you see Raven... uh... so..."

Kal El blinked, closed his mouth, pointed at Raven, and opened his mouth again.

"You have pretty cool powers...

"Very... cool!"

"Um... thanks, but that wasn't what I wanted to hear."

Robin raised an eyebrow thinking, _'You have pretty cool powers? What shit is he smoking?' _

Seeing Raven give him an accusing stare, Robin decided it was his turn to speak.

"Raven, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just... I don't know!"

"Oh, really. I think you _do _know what came over you. I think we _all _know."

"What do you mean...?"

"Nevermind, I'm tired." And with that said, Raven retired to her room.

Robin and Kal El were left in an uncomfortable silence. Neither wanted to leave Starfire, so they were forced to remain in this awkward situation.

_Bzzzz_

The buzzing was coming from Robin. The communicator was alarming the Titans of trouble.

'_Now what? Better not be another one of Starfire's buddies...' _Robin thought bitterly as he checked his communicator.

"What was that?" asked Kal El.

"There's someone causing trouble downtown again. You know, like _you_ did last time?"

"Ouch.., I guess I deserved that," replied Kal El.

"Yeah," was Robin's curt answer.

He pressed a button on his communicator, which connected him to the rest of the Titans.

"Cyborg, what can you tell us about the situation?"

"It's something bigger than last time. Reports of explosions and well-equipped robots. Might be artificial intelligence... Apparently much more advanced than our military technology..."

"Where's Starfire?" asked Beast Boy. She was the only one missing from the communicator line.

"She won't be joining us. She opened up her wound again," replied Raven.

"What! Already? That girl just can't sit still and let herself recover!" said the green guy.

Robin felt his face growing hot as guilt flushed through his limbs.

"Yeah... Whatever it is, the four of us will have to handle it by ourselves," he said.

"I'm coming too," said Kal El after some eavesdropping.

"No, you're not," replied Robin, annoyed.

"Robin, I know you don't like me, but I want to help," he said with his most serious expression.

"Besides, it's my fault that Starfire is injured now. Let me take responsibility. Please."

Kal El looked sincere, and his words were very honorable.

Robin had to agree.

"Fine," he said.

"But you should know, you can't replace Starfire," said Cyborg through the communicator. "She's one hell of a fighter."

Kal El smiled.

"I know."

**End of Chapter 14**

Well, the next chapter will obviously involve the Titans confronting this new nemesis in town. But the question is... who is it? It will involve a bit of action and mystery. Some twists follow too... Thats a hint of forshadowing! Be alert, children...

oh and I'd like to think this chapter was longer than some of the others... was it? I really cant tell for sure.


	15. Death

Sorry about the late late update but I had it ready and the site was under construction or whatever. I personally dont know about this chapter.. hope its okay.

**Chapter 15**

**Death**

The Titans in their T Ship, along with Kal El, could already see bright light and hear explosions as they approached the city.

Kal El had a bad feeling about this.

It all seemed too familiar...

But then again, they all had a bad feeling.

"There!" yelled Robin, being the first to actually sight the battle taking place.

"Oh, no..." whispered Kal El, because he knew exactly what he was looking at.

'_Crap. This is bad... We can't beat them without Starfire!'_

He was about to tell the Titans _everything_, when he heard something hit the T Ship.

_Tic_

_Tic_

_Tic_

"BOMB!" yelled Cyborg.

But it was too late.

There was a small explosion and the T Ship blew up into pieces.

"Gah..." Kal El groaned.

He wasn't in any actual physical pain. Afterall, the Man of Steel was almost invincible on Earth.

But he was worried about the Titans.

'_Are they still alive? I have to find them quick... '_

Kal El searched for his companions, using his super-speed to avoid the enemy robots.

"Ughh..."

He groaned as he felt his body become considerably limp.

'_Shit! I was hoping she hadn't come with them...' _he thought as he clutched his stomach and fell to the ground.

"Still as weak as ever," came a feminine voice.

"Blackfire... You backstabbing-"

"SILENCE!" she yelled and shot a glowing green stone at him.

It hit him square on the forehead and made him bleed.

He couldn't even talk anymore. The Kryptonite was sucking up every ounce of his strength.

"Pitiful..." Blackfire said almost in a whisper.

"Under normal circumstances, you are a very, very powerful man. Yet, you possess a _terrible _weakness... This pretty gem makes you oh so ill. What a shame."

Kal El could only look at his enemy. He couldn't believe how much she resembled Starfire. She was beautiful, but it was a tainted beauty. Starfire's combination of beauty and personality made her incredibly attractive, while Blackfire's sick personality made her psychotic and cold.

All he could do was glare at her in attempt to produce heat beams. It wasn't working.

"My sister is the same... She could easily defeat the both of us, but her weakness can also be easily exploited. Isn't it ironic? _Love_ is her weakness. She expresses emotions so freely that anyone can pinpoint her weak spot just by observing."

Kal El felt hot and cold at the same time.

_Ah shit. _

_How come all the pretty ones have evil, psychotic sisters? _

_Damn, focus! _

_This isn't the time for jokes, man. _

_Gotta do something..._

_No shit, Sherlock._

Meanwhile, Blackfire continued.

" _I, _on the other hand, am different. Love does not dominate my judgement. Pretty gems, like this Kryptonite, don't make me sick. So you see... I _have _no weakness. I am invincible."

Kal El had to focus hard to talk.

"Not... true... Your _hate _is your weakness... your jealousy... And even though you look like the princess, you're a million times uglier... Because you're rotten inside and out... you beast... psycho..."

Her face was very red now, and her whole body was shaking with rage.

"SHUT UP!"

She looked as if she would explode.

"DON'T YOU _DARE _COMPARE ME TO MY SISTER! DON'T YOU _DARE_ CALL HER A PRINCESS!SHE IS _NOTHING! _A FAILURE! HER WHOLE PLANET DESPISES HER!"

He gathered all the strength he had to keep speaking.

"She is hated because of you! She is hated because _you _shrouded her in a cloud of lies! You betrayed your own sister... What the helldid _she_ do to you?"

She did not answer.

"All she did was love you," said Kal El.

At this comment, Blackfire's body relaxed, and she regained control.

"_Love...?_" she whispered.

The way she said it sent chills down his spine.

"Do you think I am a fool? I know she loved me. I know she _still _loves me. And I loved her too."

_'Well, you have a strange way of showing love, you weirdo,' _Kal El thought bitterly.

"You say that _I _betrayed Starfire, but it was _she, _who betrayed me! They all betrayed me! My sister stole my future! My father killed my dreams! And now, I'm back..."

She was laughing like a crazed murderer now.

"For _revenge_."

"I'll never let you get to her..."

But Kal El knew he couldn't do anything.

"Quite the contrary... you see, you're actually going to be a crucial part in this. I'm going to use _you _to get close to Starfire. Then... well, I haven't decided on what I'll do next. Something that will cause her the most agonizing pain. Perhaps, I'll kill everyone around her and let her alone live. Oh, she'll never be able to get over _that_."

He tried one last time to get up, but it was no use.

"I'll kill you before you get to do anything!"

Blackfire laughed.

"Good luck on that, pretty boy," she sniggered.

Then she fiddled with something on her wrist.

_A watch? What is she doing?_

She walked over to Kal El and held her "watch" near his temple.

"Don't worry. This won't hurt a bit."

And it didn't.

There was just a blinding flash of light and a tingling sensation in his head.

"What did you do to me?"

"Oh, nothing. All I did was take a... I guess you could call it a photograph, of you. With this handy watch, I can do this!"

Kal El stared with awe as well as dread.

"Flawless, isn't it?" she said pompously.

_Oh, no... _

_This is really bad! _

_And the Titans are dead for all I know. _

_Is this the end?_

"Well, this signals the end of our little party," Blackfire said.

She took out a knife. It was the same one she had used long time ago. The kryptonite blade was glowing neon green. She raised the knife over his stomach, and...

"Good night."

"_AHHH!_"

**End of Chapter 15**

Well, I guess that's the end of Kal El. mwahahahahha! oh yeah... the Titans are dead too. or are they? yes they are. but maybe not... you can decide. actually, I decide but you can hope. And what was with that whole "take a photo of dying Kal El" thing? why was he so worried about Blackfire's watch thing? I'll get there...


	16. Saved!

Okay, really sorry about the late update. This one's short, but I like separating my chapters so it's about one thing at a time. Well, on with the story. This is like a filler...ish.

**Chapter 16**

**Saved!**

Beast Boy pinched himself.

"Oww!"

"Are you stupid, Beast Boy?" Raven asked. "Oh, I forgot. You _are _stupid."

"Hey! But dude... how are we still alive? I thought that bomb thingy would blow us to pieces!"

The green teen checked his head for any bumps and was very happy when he found none. Raven, however, did not look happy at all.

"It would have, but I created a shield at the last second to protect us. I was afraid it wouldn't be strong enough... And we seem to have been separated from Robin, Cyborg, and Kal El by the blast." She looked disappointed in herself, as well as worried.

"Beast Boy... What if it wasn't enough? What if I was only able to protect us? What am I gonna do?"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah. Slow down there, Raven! I've seen your powers, and there's no way it was not powerful enough. Heck, I'd say you're too powerful sometimes. Come to think of it, how come you girls are so strong? You _and _Star. What a scary combo."

Beast Boy grinned widely, hoping he could cheer his friend up. He hated it when the atmosphere became so heavy with emotions. It was almost hard to breathe.

"You think so? I hope you're right for once... I have to believe that you are."

For once, Beast Boy's jokes had actually helped her out.

"I know so. Now let's go find Cyborg and Robin!"

--------------------

"Daaamn. Who knew such a tiny bomb could pack a punch like that? Reminds me of Star," said Cyborg half-jokingly while checking his system for damage.

"Where's everybody else? I always get left behind... Aw, man! I just remembered! The T Ship must be completely anihilated now! Damn... whose robots were they anyway? Didn't look like anything I've ever seen."

"Cyborg!"

It was a voice the half robot could know from a mile away.

"Robin! You look just fine! How lucky are we?"

"Yeah, I know," replied Robin, slightly out of breath from sprinting all over th place.

"But have you seen the others?"

"No, I've been searching all over for them. They must be alive if we are. We have to keep looking, Cyborg."

"No need," replied a monotone voice.

"Raven!" Cyborg and Robin cried at once.

"Don't forget Beast Boy," said the green boy after he changed from an eagle to his human form.

"Am I glad to see you guys!"

"But I still can't believe that bomb didn't kill us!" cried Cyborg.

"Oh, that's because Raven made a shield around us before it blew up," replied Beast Boy.

"Wow, thanks Raven. We'd be dead now if it weren't for you."

"Don't say that Cyborg," she said quietly.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Where's Kal El?" Raven asked while looking around at all of them.

"Looking for me?"

"Kal El! Alright, now we're all good to go. Where'd all the bad guys go?" said Beast Boy, who was very eager to fight now.

"I took care of them all," said Kal El.

"What?"

"You did?" asked Robin, filled with a little suspicion.

"If you don't believe me, see for yourself," he said, and led the Titans to a pile of broken robots.

"You did..."

Robin still could not bring himself to believe him completely.

"Way to go Kal El! You the man!" said Cyborg.

Robin looked around once more. There was nothing but the pile of smashed robots... but he could swear he saw something weird glowing on the ground. He didn't get to investigate further because Kal El reminded him that Starfire might need tending to. He hoped she was better.

"Um... so how are we all getting back?" asked Kal El.

"Easy. Raven can use her power and get us back home in a second."

Robin looked at Kal El with suspicious eyes again.

_Well... he is an idiot. But he's seen Raven's powers, and I'm pretty sure we explained what she could do. He should know that she can just transport us all at once... Like I said, I guess. He's an idiot. And a show-off too. Taking down all the robots while I searched for my friends! Hmph._

All his suspicions were cast aside by the anger and jealousy that overtook him. Next time, he would not be shown up by Kal El.

"Robin, are you coming or not?" asked Raven impatiently.

"I'm coming," Robin replied distractedly.

"Well, hurry up man! I can't wait to see Starfire again," Kal El said. He looked like a child waiting to open his Christmas presents. It made Robin's anger double...no triple.

_Gah, he's even more annoying now! He's acting so... forward. Just because he beat up some dumb robots, he's acting all cocky! The bastard..._

"Yeah... I can't wait either," he said sarcastically.

**End of Chapter 16**

Next chapter will be up soon, hopefully today.


	17. The Touch

Okay, I said I would update fast, but I didn't, so I'm sorry. This one is longer, and it took longer because I got a bit more descriptive. I think... I hope it's good. Please review and tell me what you think, because I'm really not sure how to feel about this chapter. On with the installment!

**Chapter 17**

**The Touch**

When the Titans and Kal El got back to the T Tower, Robin and Kal El practically raced each other to the infirmary to check on Starfire. Kal El reached the door first, but Robin slid between his legs and got to Starfire first. This rivalry was clearly not going to end too soon.

"She's sleeping," said Robin quietly.

Starfire was lying tucked inside the blankets, her eyebrows a bit strained as if she was in pain. The bandage and gauze that Robin had applied earlier were now soaked, and the blood had dyed the bed sheets a deep red.

"It's been what, five hours, and the bleeding still hasn't stopped! She healed from broken ribs in like... a week! How can she still be bleeding?"

Robin was beyond worried. He didn't know what to do. Starfire looked awfully pale, and it was causing him to become pale too.

"I think it's because she's emotionally unstable," said Kal El. "Tamaranians use emotions to control our bodies, and if we become unstable, we cannot function properly."

Robin grimaced. He blamed himself for complicating things. Had he made her emotionally unstable?

"This is all my fault... Wait, you;re Tamaranian too? I thought-"

"Oh, I meant to say something else," Kal El replied quickly.

"Oh... Whatever. I should go get Raven, and see if she can heal her properly. Anything to help her, really."

So Robin ran off to look for Raven, leaving Kal El alone with the resting Starfire.

"You look like you're having one horrible nightmare..."

Beads of cold sweat clung to Starfire's lean figure. She shifted from side to side, shaking violently. Suddenly, her back arched and her chest jerked up. It almost looked as if her heart had stopped, and some invisible being was using a defibrillator to zap her heart back into motion. Her face contorted in pain, and she muttered incoherent words.

"...Blackfire... why..."

This made Kal El jump. He soon realized that she was just talking in her sleep and relaxed.

"Shh... Don't worry princess. Blackfire is gone. It was hard, but I somehow took care of her. Nobody will hurt you again... Nobody."

Starfire visibly relaxed, as if she had heard everything he said.

"Robin..." she seemed to whisper.

"Robin, huh? You both seem quite fond of each other... Is it him you love?"

He sat at the edge of the bed in silence and found it hard to tear his gaze from her bloodied arm.

"Pain. It's one thing we have in common, I guess," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

He drew closer to her, his face less than an inch away from hers...

"What are you doing?"

It was Robin, who was looking more than thoroughly annoyed. His face was glowing red like heated metal, and his body trembled dangerously. Raven, who stood beside him, merely sighed and went over to Starfire's bed.

Kal El's face was full of shock, clearly from being brutally awaken from his own little fantasy world.

"I... I was going to check her temperature," he muttered.

"And do you do that with your lips? Or maybe, you just shove your face as close as possible to _feel _the heat coming off of her?"

Robin knew all too well that he was acting way too possessive and jealous, but he really didn't care. What happened earlier with the whole "Kal El Saves the Day" marathon wasn't helping him cool down either. He was muttering and standing rather stiffly, unable to stop himself from shutting up. He would have gone on for days if it wasn't for the terrifying glare he was receiving from Raven.

Kal El was left speechless for a little while. He felt like he had committed some terrible felony, and Robin apparently thought he had done something much worse. He just stared blankly at the space between Robin and Raven, trying to formulate a story that would get him out of this mess. _'What exactly _is_ this mess that I've gotten myself into? That boy is freaking out... It's like watching that ruddy old king again! Everybody has to be overprotective of our darling Starfire. Hehe. Ah, but I still have no idea what to say in this situation... I can't look too suspicious. Hmm, maybe I'll just play dumb.'_

"Uh..." was the result of his oh-so complex yet brilliant plan.

"Just move aside so I can take a look at her," said a somewhat pissed off Raven.

After freezing up for a minute, he finally registered what she said and moved out of the way. Raven closed her eyes and concentrated her black energy into Starfire, making both of them float in the air. The gentle undulating energy seemed to ease Starfire, as her pained expression dissolved and turned into a relatively tranquil one.

'_Hey, that's pretty cool,' _thought Kal El. _'I want powers like that...'_

Robin just surveyed the process in silence, looking a bit twitchy as blasts of jealousy and anger bombarded his body and soul, a bad combination that rarely plagued him. As his eyes followed the waves of black aura flowing through Starfire, he couldn't help but stare at her seemingly perfect body. A beast that did not exist before suddenly awakened inside him and growled hungrily. It howled and pawed madly, desiring nothing more than to pounce on the vulnerable girl who was literally floating right in front of his eyes. A voice in his head warned him.

'_What the hell! Stop it! Have some control over yourself, Robin! This is the wrong place at the wrong time!'_

But another voice, the one that usually told him to do things like jump off the bridge on his T Cycle, told him to go for it.

'_There's never a right place or right time! It just happens! Come on, man... Look at her floating like that looking all pretty. You know you like her...'_

Robin was having a hard time deciding which voice to follow, so he decided to take the middle ground.

Well, sort of...

'_Maybe she'll feel better if I touched her...'_

And before he realized what he was doing, he reached out with his right hand and touched the soft skin that was revealed between her top and skirt. His fingertips tingled at contact, and the pleasant sensation spread quickly through his whole body, lingering and building up particularly in his chest. He could vaguely sense Kal El staring at him with a look of utter disbelief, but at that moment, he honestly didn't have a care in the world.

'_Holy... this... is heaven...'_

He desired to savor this feeling of high until his death. What a wonderful thing it was! Robin did not need drugs or alcohol to get high. He had Starfire, and her amazing... magical body. He repeated this statement in his mind once again, and realized it sounded quite... well, perverted. That wasn't what he meant. At least he didn't think so. He just felt the need to touch her, or he might go insane. But when he did touch her, he was something well over insane. He wondered if he was in love.

All of a sudden, it wasn't only a pleasant sensation that filled him. Something seemed to travel from the girl's floating body into his own mind. A happiness and excitement flooded from his head through his soul and body. It was an emotion so powerful that he, the well-disciplined student of various martial arts, could not even control it. It was growing and growing, seeming to feed off of itself... until suddenly it all exploded into painful shards of glass and pierced his insides. Someone or something was stabbing at his heart, crashing down, slashing repeatedly at the same spot. He wanted to fight back and kill whoever was causing him this pain, but he couldn't. He was blinded by this torture, and he was losing the will to fight. _'_

_There's no reason to live anyways... Just give up. Let the pain kill you now,' _said a voice in his head. He was about to agree when another voice filled his head. _'No! There's Starfire! You'll never see her again if you die here! Fight you idiot! Stop being such a wuss!"_

Suddenly, his will to live had come back. He mustered all his strength and will and lashed at the source of his torture. The pain seemed to be rooted in his mind somewhere, and he nearly killed himself trying to smash the enemy in his mind.

"AGH!" he screamed in a combination of pain and shock. "WHAT THE HELL?" His whole body and mind stung as if someone had just slapped him where he got burnt with boiling oil. He had finally been released from the devil's vice grip."What just happened? AGH! DAMN! ...Ugh! ...that hurts..." It took all his strength and will to calm down and ignore the most horrible pain he had ever experienced. His chest was throbbing, and his head felt as if Batman had run over it in the Bat Mobile. "GAAHH!" he screamed once again, trying to rid himself of the pure frustration, agony, and torture.

"Robin are you okay? What were you thinking, recklessly touching her while I was cleansing her? You're lucky you were in contact for less than 10 seconds, or you'd be seriously traumatized by now!"

Although she was yelling and glaring at Robin, Raven wasn't mad. Well, maybe a bit. But she was mostly worried, then relieved that Robin was okay. She hated it when her powers hurt other people... She hated it when she lost control and lashed out on innocent bystanders. This was why she had to keep to herself and meditate every day. To keep her dark side from taking over.

"Raven, what the hell was that?" and he followed up with a stream of curses too profane for the faint of heart. "It stings!" he finished, eyes tearing up from the pain.

Raven wondered if she should tell him everything, and she remembered what happened the last time she kept secrets from Robin. He had blamed himself for getting Starfire unconscious, which made Raven feel even more guilty, since she knew that Star was in no condition for the obstacle course. And then Robin had gotten mad at her for not telling him.

'_That's it. I can't keep lying to Robin. And if Starfire's going to be part of the team, we have a right to know what she's been through, so we can help and support her.'_

She hesitated for just a second, and began a very detailed explanation.

"As I said, I was cleansing her body of physical pain, as well as calming her emotions and letting blood circulate properly. In order to make her emotionally stable, I had to access her mind, mainly her unpleasant memories. And she has many of them..." This last bit made Robin worried. Was he one of her unpleasant memories? Kal El, who had remained silently amused throughout all of the events taking place, just stared at the wall with a pensive gaze. Raven briefly looked at the two boys and continued. "With my powers, I channeled her pain out of her body slowly and tried to bring forth her positive emotions and happy memories. It seemed to be working. That's when you touched her." Was that why he felt so insanely happy? "That threw me off and I lost control of her emotions. It got all jumbled up and I unsurfaced her most physically painful memory and made it channel through my energy. Since you were touching her, it went right into your body, and you practically died of shock."

"So that's why this-"

He stopped. He was about to say "that's why this hurts so much," only to realize that he was no longer in any pain. It escaped him how such an agonizing, torturing, painful sensation could just disappear like that.

"... It... doesn't hurt anymore..." he said, squeezing his arm and feeling no mortal pain. He looked to Raven. "How could it just... go away like that?"

Raven looked a bit shocked as well. Then she realized what had happened.

"I get it... It was just a memory. You were connected to it through Starfire. You felt what she felt in that memory, and the pain was all part of it. You're no longer connected to it, so the pain is gone..." This was the farthest she's ever gotten using her powers within the human mind. It was fascinating, and utterly terrifying.

Kal El finally seemed to come out of his reverie, and asked, "That memory... What happened in it?"

Robin suddenly perked up. Now that the torturing sensation was gone, he too was curious as to what Starfire's memory held. What could possibly cause such wretched pangs of torment? Did he want to know? ... Yes. He decided that if he wanted Starfire to open up and be truly happy, he'd have to know the anguish of her past.

Raven's brows furrowed, as she did not want to retell, let alone remember the horrible sight. She sighed, seeing that the two guys were desperate to know, and started her story, or rather Starfire's memory.

"There was this cold, dark room... no doors, just a confined space, with only one big tinted window where a bunch of... scientists could be seen. Starfire was strapped onto a table I think, and she was... she... it just... screaming! It was _horrible_. Those freaks! They kept hurting her and hurting her... electrocuting her with this green lightning bolt... and on her chest, over and over!" Raven took a breath. It was hard to do this. She felt such rage against those filthy men, and sorrow for her only female friend. She took another deep breath, slowly exhaling and trying to let go of her anger. She continued after feeling a bit more composed.

"She kept screaming... They wouldn't stop. And then, she stopped screaming. She was just... _so quiet_. I thought she was dead. I would have been. But she suddenly opens her eyes... and there's this blinding green light, and she's flying. She makes this _huge _ball of energy, and I thought that the scientists were in for a very painful death... but instead, she blasted away the wall of the room and escaped. And then..."

"Then we came," Robin finished for her. "We came when we saw that giant explosion, and I thought it was all Slade's doing..."

He couldn't believe it. The most painful moment in Starfire's life was right before... _Right _before they met. Could they have saved her? If they were just a little bit faster... Could he have saved her?

"Stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have saved her," said Kal El.

Robin almost jumped. Had he read his mind?

"You didn't even know she was there. It wasn't your fault." Kal El's lips curled into a strange, sad smile. "Nobody could have helped her..."

He stole one last glance at Starfire's limp sleepign form and walked out of the infirmary.

Raven and Robin heard his footsteps echo through the silent corridors.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked the girl.

Robin just stared at the sleeping Star, captivated, yet horrified by her mysterious past and the memories that slowly unraveled in his mind.

"Yeah."

"Come on, then. Let's let her rest."

He took one more moment to look back at the resting girl, then turned and walked out of the infirmary with Raven. He could only think of one thing. The touch... It was even before Starfire's pleasant memories flooded his mind... He was in a little paradise while he touched her exposed skin. Of course, he had touched girls before, but never had any one of them made him feel like _that_. This made him wonder what it would feel like to go beyond just touching... He blushed at his own imagination and dismissed the inappropriate images that ceaselessly bombarded his head.

'_This is going to be a long day...'_

**End of Chapter 17**

I hope this one was good, because I tried to make it more descriptive and.. well, it did end up longer, didn't it? Must think of juicy plots for upcoming chapters... Your reviews are more than appreciated! Criticism is cool too. Maybe this chapter was too emo? Well, tell me what you thought!


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